Safety device for restraining passengers

ABSTRACT

A safety seat for vehicles which incorporates a head-restraining member comprising a sheet of flexible material which is yieldable or stretchable but generally non-elastic. The head-restraining sheet is secured to the safety seat so as to extend downwardly in front of the passenger&#39;&#39;s head. The sheet gradually absorbs the momentum of the passenger&#39;&#39;s head and provides a progressively increasing contact area with the passenger&#39;&#39;s head and face to minimize the peak unit load.

United States Patent 1 1 Von Wimmersperg 1541 SAFETY DEVICE FORRESTRAINING PASSENGERS [76] Inventor: Heinrich F. Von Wimmersperg,

15929 Grand River Ave., Detroit, Mich.48227 [22] Filed: Aug. 27, 1971[2]] Appl. No.1 175,659

[52] U.S. Cl ..297/384, 297/216 [51] Int. Cl ..B60r 21/02 [58] Field ofSearch ..297/26, 384, 385, 390

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,165,355 1/1965Hitchcock,.lr. ..297/2l6 1 51 Jan. 30, 1973 3,262,716 7/1966 Wimmersperg..297/390 X 3,563,600 2/1971 Converse ....297/390 X 3,582,133 6/1971 DeLavenne ..296/65 Primary Examiner-Casmir A. Nunberg Attorney-Barnes,Kisselle, Raisch & Choate {57] ABSTRACT A safety seat for vehicles whichincorporates a headrestraining member comprising a sheet of flexiblematerial which is yieldable or stretchable but generally non-elastic.The head-restraining sheet is secured to the safety seat so as to extenddownwardly in front of the passengers head. The sheet gradually absorbsthe momentum of the passengers head and provides a progressivelyincreasing contact area with the passengers head and face to minimizethe peak unit load.

22 Claims, 18 Drawing Figures SHEET 10F 4 PATENTEDJANSO 1975 FIG. 5

PATENTEUJAN 30 I975 SHEET 2 OF 4 SAFETY DEVICE FOR RESTRAININGPASSENGERS This invention relates to a safety device for restrainingpassengers of fast-moving vehicles (such as automobiles, buses,airplanes, etc.) to prevent injuries to the vehicle passengers head inthe event of a rapid acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle, asmight happen in the case of an accident or an emergency stop.

Many safety devices have been proposed for vehicle seats (such as seatbelts, shoulder straps or harnesses, vests, etc.) to minimize injury toa vehicle passenger in the event of an accident or an emergency stop. Inmy prior US. Pat. No. 3,232,665 there is provided a shield with a largepadded impact area for absorbing the kinetic energy of the body of apassenger. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,424,497 the shield is extended upwardlyand forwardly for the purpose of absorbing the energy of not only thepassengers body but also the passengers head. While such constructionsobviously provide some degree of safety, nevertheless these devicesprovide inadequate protection for the passengers head and face.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a restrainingdevice which is designed and constructed to absorb the forward momentumof the head in a gradual manner and to provide for a large contact areafor the head and face of a passenger. The restraining device of thepresent invention is also designed to avoid rebound forces which usuallyoccur in the case of sudden stops.

Although not limited thereto, the device of the present invention isparticularly suitable as a safety device for infants and small children.The head of an infant is relatively larger and heavier relative to itsbody in comparison with an adults head. In infants the boney structureof the skull is not completely closed, the fontanelles are relativelysoft and the neck is very delicate. Therefore, it is very important inthe case of infants that the restraining device provide a gradualdeceleration over a large area of contact so as to avoid injury to theinfants head and neck.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the utilizationof a restraining device for a vehicle passengers head in the form of asheet of a flexible, yieldable, generally non-elastic material (such asnetting) which is admirably suited to provide excellent distribution ofthe contact forces over the facial and forehead areas of the passenger.By utilizing a restraining member of this type, as the head contacts thesheet, the sheet progressively yields to provide a progressivelyincreasing contact area. Thus, with this arrangement the dissipation ofthe momentum energy is initiated quickly and the total energy isdissipated progressively (as distinguished from suddenly) and over arelatively longer time period.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following description and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the safety seat frame of a device inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seat frame shown in FIG. 1 providedwith a support bracket and a body shield;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the completely assembled device of thepresent invention anchored to a vehicle seat by a seat belt;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the body shield shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rear side of the head-restrainingdevice;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of the anchoring means for therestraining sheet in the stretched condition;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are views illustrating the function and operation of therestraining device of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view ofa modified form of the safety seat frameaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear side of the seatframe illustrated in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of one end of thehead-restraining device adapted for use with th seat frame shown in FIG.9;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the modified form of seat frame shownin FIG. 9 and illustrating a modified form of head-restraining device;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the safety seat illustrated in FIG. 12in the completely assembled form and anchored to a vehicle seat by aseat belt;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, illustrating themanner in which the body shield of the modified form of construction isanchored to the seat frame and taken along the line BB in FIG. 15;

FIG. 15 is a sectional view along the line A-A in FIG. with the bodyshield removed;

FIG. 16 is a vertical sectional view of a modified form of safety seatadjustable to the size of the passenger;

FIGS. 17 and 18 are views showing the function and operation of thedevice illustrated in FIGS. 9 through 16.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 6, the embodiment of the inventionshown includes a safety seat frame 10 consisting of a pair of side walls12 and a rear wall 14 which merges with a curved bottom wall 16 so as toprovide a seat (such as for an infant). The forward edges of side walls12 extend upwardly and rearwardly from the forward portion of bottomwall 16 as at 18 to an arcuate concave portion 20. At the upper end oftheconcave portion 20 the forward edges of side walls 12 extend upwardlyand then rearwardly as at 22 to the upper edge of rear wall 14. Seatframe 10 is formed as a relatively rigid structure and may be molded,for example, from plastic material as an integral unit. At least theconcave portions 20 of the forward edges of the side walls are enlargedas illustrated.

Seat frame 10 is provided on the rear side of rear wall 14 with suitablemembers 24 adapted for interconnection with wire brace 26 forpositioning frame 10 on a vehicle seat, such as illustrated at 28 inFIG. 7.

A body shield 30 is preferably mounted on seat frame 10 for restrainingforward movement of the pas sengers body midsection. Body shield 30comprises a curved rigid panel 32 which is padded on the inner sidethereof as at 34. The opposite ends of panel 32 of body shield 30 areprovided with rigid end walls 36 formed with curved channels 38 at theedges thereof. Channels 38 conform in shape with the enlargements at theedges of the concave portions 20 on side walls 12 so that channels 38can be telescoped in an arcuate fashion into and out of engagement withthe arcuate enlarge ments to mount the body shield on the seat framepreferably after the passenger is seated therein. As shown in FIGS. 7and 8, body shield 30 has a portion 40 which overlies the passengers lapand a second portion 42 which extends upwardly and forwardly in front ofthe passengers chest. Shield 30 terminates at its upper end at a levelbelow the neck of the passenger. Rear wall 14 is dimensioned to extendupwardly above the head of the passenger.

The head restraining member of the present invention is generallydesignated 44 and comprises a sheet of flexible material which isyieldable or stretchable, but generally non-elastic. For example, member44 can be formed from a sheet of transparent stretchable plastic.Preferably, however, sheet 44 is formed of a netlike material (such asstrong mosquito netting or the like). As shown in FIG. 3, thehead-restraining sheet 44 is dimensioned to extend downwardly from theupper end of rear wall 14, around the front edge portions 22 of sidewalls 12 and over at least a portion of the front face of body shield30.

At its upper end sheet 44 has attached thereto a wire loop 46. Loop 46comprises a first straight laterally extending portion 48 retainedwithin hem 50 formed at the upper end of the sheet. Wire loop 46includes a second straight laterally extending portion 52 adapted to besecured to the seat by means of hooks 54 on the rear side of rear wall14 as shown in FIG. 7. The two straight portions 48,52 of wire loop 46are interconnected by inwardly bent legs 56.

The lateral side edges of sheet 44 are formed as flanges 58 adapted tooverlap and snugly embrace the outer face of side walls 12. At its lowerend sheet 44 has attached thereto a strong flexible panel 60, theextreme end of which is reinforced by a rod 62. In the embodimentillustrated in FIGS. 1 through 8 the restraining seat of the presentinvention is adapted to be positioned on a vehicle seat as shown inFIGS. 7 and 8 and anchored thereto by means of a conventional seat belt64. Belt 64 extends over and across the concave outer portion of bodyshield 30. However, before seat belt 64 is secured, the reinforcingpanel 60 of sheet 44 is arranged to overlie body shield 30 so that therod 62 will form an enlargement extending beyond said belt 64 to thusfirmly anchor the lower end of sheet 44 to seat frame 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, the function and operation of therestraining device of the present invention is illustrated. In thesedrawings a child 66 is shown seated in the device with the body shield30 overlying the childs lap and extending upwardly and slightly awayfrom the child s chest. It will be observed that the yieldable sheet 44is anchored at its lower end on the seat frame by seat belt 64 andextends upwardly around the forward edge portions 22 of side walls 12 totheiupper end of rear wall 14. The upper end of sheet 44 then extendsdownwardly over the upper end of rear wall 14 and is anchored to theseat frame by interengagement of wire loop 46 with hooks 54. In FIG. 7the childs head is shown in solid lines in the position that it wouldnormally occupy and in broken lines in the position to which it would bethrust immediately after an emergency stop or sudden deceleration. It isapparent from FIG. 7 that in the event of sudden deceleration of thevehicle the passenger's head would be thrust forwardly through the spaceF before the forehead encounters the restraining influence of sheet 44.The distance F is preferably on the order of 2 to 10 inches. In mostinstances under conditions of rapid deceleration the energy of themomentum of the passengers head will not be dissipated completely as thehead is thrust forwardly through the free distance F. The momentum willbe sufficient to thrust the child's body forwardly a further extent sothat the passengers forehead slides along the inside of the screen fromthe point A to the point B through the distance S. Since sheet 44 ismade of a yieldable or a stretchable material, as the forehead slidesalong the inside of the sheet it gradually increases the tension of thesheet and gradually increases the contact area between the passengershead and the inside of the sheet until point B is reached wheresubstantially the entire forehead and face of the passenger contactssheet 44. At the same time the chest area of the passenger has contactedthe portion 42 of the body shield and compressed the padding thereon.However, before the passengers head reaches point B, the tension on thesheet due to the forward momentum of the passengers head is sufficientto at least partially straighten the inwardly bent legs 56 of wire loop46 as shown in FIG. 4 so that the two straight portions 48,52 becomemore remotely separated and enable the sheet 44 to yield to a greaterextent than it otherwise would. Thus the passengers head is graduallybrought to a complete stop with the peak unit load at the area ofcontact being maintained at a relatively low and constant value byreason of the yielding of sheet 44, the straightening of legs 56 and theprogressively increasing area of contact between the child's head andsheet 44. Thus, during the final period of forward motion of thepassenger's head the passengers face has maximum surface contact withthe sheet which tends to minimize injury. This is particularly true inthe case of infant passengers which are much more readily susceptable toskull fractures.

In a rear end collision in a forwardly facing safety device of thepresent invention the first impact period is taken by the back wall ofthe seat which may be padded to minimize such injury. In the reboundperiod the passengers head is thrust forwardly and the impact thereof istaken by sheet 44 in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8. It will beappreciated that if the safety device is arranged on a seat so as toface rearwardly the direction of movement for the initial impact andlater rebound periods will be the opposite as described above for frontend and rear end collisions. However, in either event, the sheet 44 willabsorb the impact of the passengers head in the fashion described eitherduring the initial impact period or the following rebound period.

In FIGS. 9 through 18 a somewhat modified form of invention isillustrated. In this form the safety seat frame 68 is provided with sidewalls 70 which may be padded, if desired, and with a rear wall 72 andbottom wall 74 as in the previous embodiment illustrated. However, inthe arrangement illustrated in FIGS. 9 through 18 the body shield 76comprises a rigid panel 78 which is padded at its inner side as at 80and provided with a pivot support 82 at its lower end. As shown in FIG.14, pivot support 82 comprises a sleeve 84 fixed to the lower end ofpanel 78. Within sleeve 84 there is arranged a shaft consisting of twosections 86,88. Shaft section 86 is axially slideable in shaft section88 and is biased outwardly thereof by a compression spring 90. Shaftsection 86 is releasably locked in its outwardly extended position by aspring detent 92. Thus, shaft sections 86,88 are designed to normallyproject outwardly beyond the adjacent side edges of panel 78. Each sidewall 70 of seat frame 68 is provided with axially aligned apertures 94therein. These portions of side walls 70 may be reinforced if desired bya metal plate 96 secured to the side walls as by rivets 98. In thearrangement illustrated body shield 76 is adapted to be pivotallymounted on seat frame 68 by inserting the projecting end portion ofshaft section 88 into one of the openings, axially retracting shaftsection 86 to permit its alignment with the other opening 94 and thenpermitting shaft section 86 to project outwardly through the otheropening 94 by reason of compression spring 90. In this manner bodyshield 76 is rigidly supported on seat frame 68 so that it is permittedto tilt in a forward and rearward direction at its upper end.

As is the case with the previous embodiment described, the modified formof safety device also incorporates a head-restraining member 99 formedof a sheet of material that is flexible, yieldable or stretchable, butgenerally non-elastic. Sheet 99 is shaped and dimensioned so as toextent from the upper end of rear wall 72 downwardly over the forwardedges of side walls 70 in the manner described with respect to theprevious embodiment. However, in this form of the invention sheet 99 isfirmly anchored or secured in some suitable fashion at its lower end tobody shield 76. The upper end of sheet 99 may be connected to the seatframe in the same manner that the upper end of sheet 44 is connected.However, in FIGS. and 11 a modified form of connection is shown. Theupper end of sheet 99 has connected thereto a wire loop 101 generallysimilar to the wire loop 46 previously described. Wire loop 101 haslaterally inwardly bent legs 100 and a tubular sleeve portion 102secured thereto. The rear side of rear wall 72 is fashioned at the upperend thereof with a generally cylindrical bore forming a laterallyextending socket 104 which is slotted as at 106. The upper end of sheet99 is adapted to be anchored to the back side of rear wall 72 byinserting the portion of wire loop 101 having sleeve 102 thereon axiallyinto and through socket 104, slot 106 accommodating the wire at eitherside of wire loop 101. The axial length of socket 104 is slightly lessthan the width of wire loop 101 at the sleeve 102 so that when the wireloop is pivoted upwardly against the rear face of rear wall 72 the wireloop is locked in place and the upper end of sheet 99 is firmly anchoredto rear wall 72. Preferably wire loop 101 is interengaged with socket104 and thereafter sheet 99 is extended forwardly and downwardly overthe forward edges of side walls 70. Finally body panel 78 isinterengaged with the seat frame in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 12and 13 and the entire assembly is anchored to the vehicle seat by seatbelt 108. With the arrangement described in FIGS. 9 through 16 thefunction and operation of sheet 99 is generally the same as described inconnection with FIGS. 7 and 8. However, as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18,upon sudden deceleration the passenger's body is thrust forwardly sothat body shield 76 pivots forwardly about pivot support 82simultaneously with the extension of sheet 99. Body shield 76 isnormally retained in a generally upright position by the tension of seatbelt 108 and its forward tilting movement is somewhat restricted by theseat belt (see FIG. 18). However, sheet 99 yields and gradually absorbsthe impact of the passengers head substantially in the same manner asdescribed previously in connection with the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 through 8.

While seat frame 68 may be padded as desired, there is illustrated inFIG. 16 a particular pad construction for enabling the seat to beadjusted to infants or children of different sizes. In FIG. 16 there isshown a seat pad 110 dimensioned in length to substantially completelyoverlie rear wall 72 and bottom wall 74. However, about the lowerone-third portion of pad 110 (the portion designated 112) issubstantially thicker than the upper two-thirds portion 114 of the pad.Pad 110 has one or more plugs 116 on the under side thereof adapted toproject into suitably located apertures in the rear and bottom walls ofthe seat frame to prevent shifting of the pad. When the pad is arrangedin the position illustrated in FIG. 15, the effective height of seatformed by bottom wall 74 is at a maximum so that the head of a childwill be located adjacent the upper end of the unit as shown in FIG. 17.In the event of a slightly larger child, pad 110 can be reversed end toend in a position so that the child is sitting on the thinner portion114 of the pad. In the event that a child is even longer, pad 110 can becompletely removed from the unit. In any event, the child's head will beproperly located approximately at the position shown in FIG. 17 so thatupon sudden deceleration or in the event of an accident the forwardthrust of the childs head and body will be absorbed by sheet 99 and alsoby the straightening of the wire loops of the anchoring member 98.

FIG. 16 also shows the provision of a second set of apertures 118 in theside panels of the seat frame for receiving the body shield in a secondposition for further accomodating the seat to the child s size.

Iclaim:

l. A safety restraining seat for vehicles comprising a rigid frameadapted to be positioned on and anchored to a vehicle seat and in whicha passenger is adapted to be seated, said frame having a pair ofgenerally vertically extending, laterally spaced side walls which permitonly limited lateral movement of the passenger seated in said frame, abody shield, means for anchoring the body shield relative to said frameso that the shield is adapted to restrain forward movement of thepassengers body in the area upwardly from the passengers lap to anelevation below the passengers head and neck, and a head restrainingmember comprising flexible sheet of a generally non-elastic material,said sheet extending downwardly in front of the passengers head andbeing secured to said frame whereby, upon sudden acceleration of thevehicle, the forward momentum of the passengers body is absorbed by saidbody shield and, as the passengers head is displaced forwardly intoengagement with said sheet, the sheet progressively yields to provide aprogressively greater area of contact with the passengers head togradually decelerate the passengers head while absorbing the forwardmomentum thereof and maintaining the peak unit contact load on thepassengers head at a minimum value.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame includes aback and bottom wall extending between the side walls, said back wallextending upwardly to a level generally above the head of. a passengerseated in the frame.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2 wherein said sheet extendsupwardly from said body shield in front of the passengers head and tothe upper end of said back wall. 7

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said sheet extendslaterally across said frame to each of said side walls.

5.'The combination set forth in claim 2 including yielding, generallynon-elastic anchoring means securing said sheet to said frame, saidlast-mentioned means being adapted to yield under the tension appliedthereto by said sheet as the result of the forward momentum of thepassengers head resulting from sudden deceleration.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein said sheet is adapted toyield under a lesser force than is required to produce yielding of saidnon-elastic anchoring means.

7. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein said last-mentionedmeans includes a wire element having bends therein to foreshorten thelength thereof, said bends being adapted to at least partiallystraighten under the tension applied thereto by said sheet as a resultof the forward momentum of the passengers head upon sudden deceleration.

8. The combination set forth in claim 7 wherein said wire element isdetachably connected to said seat back.

9. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein said last-mentionedmeans comprises a member having a laterally extending first portionconnected with the upper end of said sheet and a laterally extendingsecond portion spaced from said first portion and connected with saidseat back, said laterally extending portions being connected bylaterally bent wire portions which are adapted to at least partiallystraighten out and thus increase the spacing between said lateralportions in response to the tension applied by said sheet member to saidnon-elastic anchoring means.

10. The combination set forth in claim-3 wherein said side walls extendforwardly beyond the head and face of a passenger seated in the frame sothat the passengers head is capable of moving forwardly prior toencountering said sheet.

II. The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein said sheet isdimensioned laterally to overlap and extend around the forward edges ofsaid side walls.

12. The combination set forth in claim 10 wherein said sheet isdimensioned to snugly embrace the laterally outer sides of said sidewalls adjacent the forward edge portions thereof.

13. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said body shield isanchored on said frame, extends upwardly fromthe passengers lap and isspaced slightly forwardly of the passengers chest.

14. The combination set forth in claim 13 wherein the lower end of saidsheet is connected with said body shield.

15. The combination set forth in claim 13 wherein said body shieldcomprises a panel connected to said frame for forward tilting movementat supper end.

16. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein the lower end of saidsheet is anchored on said body shield and is displaced by the tiltingmovement thereof.

17. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame includes aback and bottom wall extending laterally between and connected to saidside walls and including a seat pad extending over said back and sidewall, said pad being substantially thicker along generally one-third ofits length than along the other two-thirds of its length, said pad beingadapted to be reversely positioned end for end on said back and sidewall to vary the effective height of the bottom wall relative to saidside walls.

18. The combination set forth in claim 17 including means for detachablyanchoring said pad to said frame.

19. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said head-restrainingmember comprises a sheet of stretchable mesh material.

20. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said head-restrainingmember comprises a net material.

21. A safety restraining seat for vehicles comprising a rigid frameadapted to be positioned on and anchored to a vehicle seat and in whicha passenger. is adapted to be seated, said frame having a pair ofgenerally vertically extending, laterally spaced side walls which permitonly limited lateral movement of the passenger seated in said frame, abody shield panel, means for anchoring the body shield panel on saidframe so that the panel is adapted to extend upwardly from the area ofthe passengers lap to an elevation in front of the passenger's chest andterminating below the passengers head and neck, and a head-restrainingflexible sheet of generally non-elastic material, said sheet extendingdownwardly in front of the passengers head, means anchoring said sheetto said frame, said anchoring means being yieldable but generallynon-elastic whereby, upon sudden acceleration of the vehicle, theforward momentum of the passengers body is absorbed by-said body shieldand, as the passengers head 'is displaced forwardly into engagement withsaid sheet,

said last-mentioned anchoring means progressively yield to graduallydecelerate the passengers head while absorbing the forward momentumthereof and maintaining the peak unit load on the passenger's head at aminimum value.

22. The combination set forth in claim 1 including means for anchoringthe body shield on said seat frame in a plurality of different positionsto accomodate passengers of different sizes.

1. A safety restraining seat for vehicles comprising a rigid frameadapted to be positioned on and anchored to a vehicle seat and in whicha passenger is adapted to be seated, said frame having a pair ofgenerally vertically extending, laterally spaced side walls which permitonly limited lateral movement of the passenger seated in said frame, abody shield, means for anchoring the body shield relative to said frameso that the shield is adapted to restrain forward movement of thepassenger''s body in the area upwardly from the passenger''s lap to anelevation below the passenger''s head and neck, and a head restrainingmember comprising flexible sheet of a generally non-elastic material,said sheet extending downwardly in front of the passenger''s head andbeing secured to said frame whereby, upon sudden acceleration of thevehicle, the forward momentum of the passenger''s body is absorbed bysaid body shield and, as the passenger''s head is displaced forwardlyinto engagement with said sheet, the sheet progressively yields toprovide a progressively greater area of contact with the passenger''shead to gradually decelerate the passenger''s head while absorbing theforward momentum thereof and maintaining the peak unit contact load onthe passenger''s head at a minimum value.
 1. A safety restraining seatfor vehicles comprising a rigid frame adapted to be positioned on andanchored to a vehicle seat and in which a passenger is adapted to beseated, said frame having a pair of generally vertically extending,laterally spaced side walls which permit only limited lateral movementof the passenger seated in said frame, a body shield, means foranchoring the body shield relative to said frame so that the shield isadapted to restrain forward movement of the passenger''s body in thearea upwardly from the passenger''s lap to an elevation below thepassenger''s head and neck, and a head restraining member comprisingflexible sheet of a generally nonelastic material, said sheet extendingdownwardly in front of the passenger''s head and being secured to saidframe whereby, upon sudden acceleration of the vehicle, the forwardmomentum of the passenger''s body is absorbed by said body shield and,as the passenger''s head is displaced forwardly into engagement withsaid sheet, the sheet progressively yields to provide a progressivelygreater area of contact with the passenger''s head to graduallydecelerate the passenger''s head while absorbing the forward momentumthereof and maintaining the peak unit contact load on the passenger''shead at a minimum value.
 2. The combination set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid frame includes a back and bottom wall extending between the sidewalls, said back wall extending upwardly to a level generally above thehead of a passenger seated in the frame.
 3. The combination set forth inclaim 2 wherein said sheet extends upwardly from said body shield infront of the passenger''s head and to the upper end of said back wall.4. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said sheet extendslaterally across said frame to each of said side walls.
 5. Thecombination set forth in claim 2 including yielding, generallynon-elastic anchoring means securing said sheet to said frame, saidlast-mentioned means being adapted to yield under the tension appliedthereto by said sheet as the result of the forward momentum of thepassenger''s head resulting from sudden deceleration.
 6. The combinationset forth in claim 5 wherein said sheet is adapted to yield under alesser force than is required to produce yielding of said non-elasticanchoring means.
 7. The combination set forth in claim 5 wherein saidlast-mentioned means includes a wire element having bends therein toforeshorten the length thereof, said bends being adapted to at leastpartially straighten under the tension applied thereto by said sheet asa result of the forward momentum of the passenger''s head upon suddendeceleration.
 8. The combination set forth in claim 7 wherein said wireelement is detachably connected to said seat back.
 9. The combinationset forth in claim 5 wherein said last-mentioned means comprises amember having a laterally extending first portion connected with theupper end of said sheet and a laterally extending second portion spacedfrom said first portion and connected with said seat back, saidlaterally extending portions being connected by laterally bent wireportions which are adapted to at least partially straighten out and thusincrease the spacing between said lateral portions in response to thetension applied by said sheet member to said non-elastic anchoringmeans.
 10. The combination set forth in claim 3 wherein said side wallsextend forwardly beyond the head and face of a passenger seated in theframe so that the passenger''s head is capable of moving forwardly priorto encountering said sheet.
 11. The combination set forth in claim 10wherein said sheet is dimensioned laterally to overlap and extend aroundthe forward edges of said side walls.
 12. The combination set forth inclaim 10 wherein said sheEt is dimensioned to snugly embrace thelaterally outer sides of said side walls adjacent the forward edgeportions thereof.
 13. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein saidbody shield is anchored on said frame, extends upwardly from thepassenger''s lap and is spaced slightly forwardly of the passenger''schest.
 14. The combination set forth in claim 13 wherein the lower endof said sheet is connected with said body shield.
 15. The combinationset forth in claim 13 wherein said body shield comprises a panelconnected to said frame for forward tilting movement at its upper end.16. The combination set forth in claim 15 wherein the lower end of saidsheet is anchored on said body shield and is displaced by the tiltingmovement thereof.
 17. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein saidframe includes a back and bottom wall extending laterally between andconnected to said side walls and including a seat pad extending oversaid back and side wall, said pad being substantially thicker alonggenerally one-third of its length than along the other two-thirds of itslength, said pad being adapted to be reversely positioned end for end onsaid back and side wall to vary the effective height of the bottom wallrelative to said side walls.
 18. The combination set forth in claim 17including means for detachably anchoring said pad to said frame.
 19. Thecombination set forth in claim 1 wherein said head-restraining membercomprises a sheet of stretchable mesh material.
 20. The combination setforth in claim 1 wherein said head-restraining member comprises a netmaterial.
 21. A safety restraining seat for vehicles comprising a rigidframe adapted to be positioned on and anchored to a vehicle seat and inwhich a passenger is adapted to be seated, said frame having a pair ofgenerally vertically extending, laterally spaced side walls which permitonly limited lateral movement of the passenger seated in said frame, abody shield panel, means for anchoring the body shield panel on saidframe so that the panel is adapted to extend upwardly from the area ofthe passenger''s lap to an elevation in front of the passenger''s chestand terminating below the passenger''s head and neck, and ahead-restraining flexible sheet of generally non-elastic material, saidsheet extending downwardly in front of the passenger''s head, meansanchoring said sheet to said frame, said anchoring means being yieldablebut generally non-elastic whereby, upon sudden acceleration of thevehicle, the forward momentum of the passenger''s body is absorbed bysaid body shield and, as the passenger''s head is displaced forwardlyinto engagement with said sheet, said last-mentioned anchoring meansprogressively yield to gradually decelerate the passenger''s head whileabsorbing the forward momentum thereof and maintaining the peak unitload on the passenger''s head at a minimum value.